The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-10
The Commission Bill in Florida,

The COMMISSION Bill IN HIOr1Oa.
About the most important bill pending in
the Florida Legislature is that creating a
railroad commission. 1t is agreed that a
commission is needed, but there is a marked
difference of opinion respecting the charac-
| ter and extent of the authority with which
! the commission ought to be clothed The
aim, of course, ought to be, and doubtless
! is, to promote the best interests of the whole
| State. There may be few who are con-
trolled by selfish motives They may desire
a commission because they think that by
means of it they can advance their own in
terests, or they may have grievances of some
sort, and seek only to injue the railroads
Such persons keep their true reasons in the
background and pose as patriots who are
influenced solely by a desire TO benefit the
people. They can be distinguished generally
by their pretended anxiety to protect the
people against railroad oppression, and by
their activity in behalf of legislation calcu-
lated to burden railroads with such reStric-
lions as to make their prosperity doubtful.
The Legislature ought not to permit itself
to be influenced by persons of this charac-
ter because they are the enemies of the State.
1t ought not to be forgotten that the rail
roads have contributed largely to the pros
perity which Florida now enjoys. They
have not waited for the country to build up
so as to afford them a paying business.
They have been pioneers, and towns, farms
and groves have followed the paths they
have marked out. Without their aid much
of the State that is now dotted with happy
homes and thriving towns would still be
comparatively a wilderness.
And there is another thing that should
not be forgotten 1t is that railroad build
ing is only just begun in Florida There
are many projected roads which, it is prob
able, will be built in the near future, and
many others will be projected and built
within few years if the conditions are
favorable The future of tho State depends
largely upon railroads. Its products are of
the character that require quick and prompt
transportation to market, and railroads,
therefore, are more of necessity there than
they are in some other States whose pro-
ducts are less perishable and better able to
stand wagon transportation to railroads
Florida as yet has little capital of her own
with which to build railroads. All she has
is needed to open up farms and make i'm
provements upon her lands and in her cities
Capital for building railroads must come
from the great money centers. Capitalists,
however, are not going to put their money
into enterprises of which they are deprived
the control, and from which they see no
prospect of getting an adequate return.
They are willing to take some chances, but
they are not willing to invest their money
where they receive no encouragement, and
where the laws are based upon the idea that
they are public enemies againt whom it is
necessary to erect legal barriers.
There are two kinds of State railroad
commissions, and it would be well for the
Florida Legislature to study both carefully
before passing any railroad commission bill.
One kind is clothed only with such author
ity as is necessary to prevent the railroads
from making unjust determinations, and
| from enforcing regulations which amount
| to oppression. 1t hears complaints and
makes such decisions as are just TO both the
people and the railroads The other kind
| virtually takes the management of railroads
| out of the hands of those who own them,
| and undertakes to do the managing itself
| The former kind has been found to give
| entire satisfaction to all concerned, while
the latter has always been, and will, doubt
less, continue to be a source of more or less
misunderstanding and trouble.
There are indications that the Florida
Legislature fully appreciates the response
bility that it assumes in passing law to
regulate railroads, and also that it under
stands that the conditions in Florida are so
| different from what they are in those Stats
where the commissions have almost absolute
control of the railroads that it would be a
heavy blow to Florda's prosperity to accept
their commissions as models. The danger
is that the aggressiveness of those who are
looking out for themselves rather than for
the State will cause the Legislature to lose
sight, to some extent, of the fact that what
the State wants is commission that will
| encourage rather than retard railroad
building within its limits.